Food waste remains a major problem in Switzerland. Four years after implementing an action plan to halve food waste by 2030, the Federal Council has published an assessment with mixed results. It says private households need to improve more.
According to an interim report published on Wednesday, food losses have only decreased by about 5% between 2017 and 2024. The target set for 2025 was a 25% reduction.
In 2022, the Federal Council launched a series of incentive measures to halve food waste by 2030. These measures have had an effect on the retail sector, where a 20% reduction has been recorded.
The restaurant sector has also recorded a "clear" decrease in food waste.
However, this data is based on reports from businesses and organizations that measure their own losses. 37 actors participate in the government's action plan.
Almost a third of the waste comes from households
The report highlights that the main problem lies with households. They account for around 28% of total food losses and significantly impact the environmental footprint of the food system.
Although household food waste has decreased by 13% since 2017, this is not enough to reach the 2030 target. Without this improvement, halving losses would be impossible, the Swiss Confederation points out. According to it, current measures have not yet sufficiently reached this group.
The Federal Council has adopted new measures, mainly focused on raising public awareness. A new interim evaluation is expected in 2028.
However, there are currently no plans to impose taxes on unsold goods. The Federal Council had stated in 2024 that this measure could be considered if the situation did not improve by 2025./Albinfo.ch
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